ATLANTA, June 5, 2008 – Delta Air Lines (NYSE: DAL) today announced it will transport the internationally-acclaimed art exhibition, Breaking the Veils: Women Artists from the Islamic World, on the airline’s inaugural flight from Amman, Jordan to New York’s John F. Kennedy International Airport (JFK) on Friday, June 6. The exhibit includes 72 works of art from 51 women representing more than 20 Islamic countries, including Indonesia, Morocco, Saudi Arabia and Iraq.
“Delta is proud to commemorate our new nonstop service from Amman to New York by transporting this truly historic exhibition of art from the Islamic world, representing some of the greatest female artists of the region,” said Tim Mapes, Delta’s vice president of Marketing. “As a corporation committed to supporting multicultural events worldwide, we’re pleased to partner with The ArtReach Foundation to serve as Official Airline, bringing the Breaking the Veils exhibit to art enthusiasts in the United States for the first time in its history.”
Atlanta-based non-profit, The ArtReach Foundation, was selected by the Royal Society of Fine Arts Jordan and the Pan-Mediterranean Women Artists Network of Greece to bring Breaking the Veils to the United States. The collection, which has already toured 15 European cities and Australia, was assembled with the hope of breaking down stereotypes of women in Islam and to display the vast contributions of gifted female artists from Islamic regions including Muslims, Christians, Buddhists and Hindu.
The U.S. tour of the exhibit will debut at the William J. Clinton Presidential Center in Little Rock, Ark. It will then visit the University of Southern Mississippi in Hattiesburg. Additional venues are in the planning stage.
“Delta is our perfect sponsor for the U.S. Tour of Breaking the Veils,” said Susan Anderson, Founder & CEO of The ArtReach Foundation. "Both Delta and ArtReach are Atlanta ‘homegrown,’ and have wings ready to soar eastward soon. ArtReach will extend its ‘wings of hope’ to regions across the Middle East by addressing traumas suffered by many displaced Iraqi children now living in Jordan, while Delta, which begins a new route between Amman and New York this week, will be ArtReach’s wings to bring this remarkable collection of women's art to American audiences.”
The mission of The ArtReach Foundation is to influence and assist in the growth and development of children who have experienced the traumatic effects of war, violence or natural disaster. A portion of the proceeds from the Breaking the Veils Tour will benefit The ArtReach Foundation. Currently, ArtReach is developing the ArtReach Middle East Institute in Amman, Jordan to train educators to address the needs of tens of thousands of children, including those displaced by the war in Iraq.
Breaking the Veils, inaugurated in 2002 by Her Majesty Queen Rania Al Abdullah, of Jordan, was organized by Her Royal Highness Princess Wijdan Al Hashemi, Ph.D., President of the Royal Society of Fine Art, Jordan, and the Pan Mediterranean Women Artists Network (F.A.M.) of Greece. The ArtReach Foundation received the honor in recognition of their international work training teachers to work with children through programs focusing on creative expressive art therapies. ArtReach has worked in regions of Lebanon and Bosnia, and with children displaced by Hurricanes Rita and Katrina.
The ArtReach Foundation is a 501(c)3 non-profit based in Atlanta, Georgia and founded ten years ago by Susan Anderson, current CEO. The Foundation trains teachers and professionals to meet the needs of the growing number of children around the world affected by war, violence, or natural disaster. ArtReach uses creative art therapies to influence and assist in the growth and development of children. More than 200,000 refugee and displaced youth have benefited from ArtReach Methodology. For more information visit http://www.artreachfoundation.org/ or contact The ArtReach Foundation, 30 Fifth Street, Suite 204, Atlanta, Georgia 30308. Ph: (404) 264-9349 Email:susan@artreachfoundation.org
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